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Click the photo about for a gallery from the 2013 American Country Awards. Here, Brian Kelley, left, and Tyler Hubbard, center, of musical group Florida Georgia Line accept the single of the year award for "Cruise" onstage at the American Country Awards at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, in Las Vegas. (Photo: Frank Micelotta / Invision / AP)

By Hilary Billings

Special for USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS -- The 4th annual American Country Awards, hosted by NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and country superstar Trace Adkins, broadcast live from the Mandalay Bay Resort Tuesday night. Full of lighthearted fun, shocking surprises and touching tributes, we've rounded up the best moments of the night. Consider this your country cheat sheet.

The duo walked away with the most guitars of the evening, collecting six wins including artist of the year, best new artist and single of the year. After a pyro-packed performance of "Stay," Florida Georgia Line confessed they're not sure how they're going to top this year's success. "Our fans have blown us away with their loyalty and their support. Just the love that's in the room is awesome."

Luke Bryan was winner of the awards for artist of the year, artist of the year: male, and touring artist of the year at the American Country Awards at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Dec. 10, 2013, in Las Vegas. Click image for more photos from the show. (Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

By Chris Talbott
Associated Press

The fans of country music love Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line and they proved it again Tuesday during the American Country Awards.

Bryan was named artist of the year, and Florida Georgia Line was the top winner with six trophies, including new artist and single of the year for the “Cruise” remix with Nelly.

Blake Shelton was next with four awards, including album of the year for “Based on a True Story. …”

In this May 11, 2013 file photo, driver Danica Patrick high fives fans during driver introductions before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Darlington Raceway, in Darlington, S.C. New country music fan Patrick will co-host the American Country Awards Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, on FOX with Trace Adkins. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - When her agent pitches a new project, Danica Patrick usually makes her decisions on the spot - yes or no - with little hesitation. When the producers of the American Country Awards called and asked if she'd co-host the show, the NASCAR driver took her foot off the gas pedal.

"This is one of the first things where I said, 'You know, let me think about that,'" Patrick said. "I just was nervous about doing it, and I kind of wanted to get a few people's opinion: Do you think I can handle this? But they made me feel really comfortable. A few months ago I met with the producers and they said it's going to be easy and you're going to have fun with it. Hopefully they're right."

Patrick will find out when she co-hosts the live Fox broadcast (8 p.m. EST) Tuesday night in Las Vegas with Trace Adkins. Taylor Swift leads all nominees with eight, while Blake Shelton and Florida Georgia Line are up for seven apiece during the fourth annual awards show.

Click image to view photos from the 2012 American Country Awards (photo: Larry McCormack/The Tennessean)

Believe it or not, we have one more star-studded country music awards show left to go in 2013. The fourth annual American Country Awards show will air live from Las Vegas this Tuesday on FOX, and four more performers have just joined the bill.

The American Country Awards, the genre’s only awards show where fan voting determines the winner of every category will return to Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay on Dec. 10. And when viewers tune in to watch it live at 7 p.m. on Fox, they’ll find some familiar and not-so-familiar faces.

“I can’t wait to see if I have what it takes to keep up with this racing superstar,” Adkins said in a statement.

While country music isn’t Patrick’s profession – it isn’t completely foreign to her. The driver appeared in Miranda Lambert’s video for “Fastest Girl in Town” and in a video with Colt Ford.

“I have no doubt (Adkins) will be able to keep up with me,” Patrick said in a statement. “I’ve become a huge fan of country music since I came to NASCAR ... This is going to be a really cool experience and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

In addition to co-hosting the show, Adkins will also share one of his new songs with the audience. The singer, who will release a Celtic inspired Christmas album “The King’s Gift” on Oct. 29, will be joined by drummer Kenny Aronoff to perform “Carol of the Drums.”

And country fans will have the opportunity to see Adkins deliver the song in person. Following the album’s release, he will embark on The Christmas Show Tour, a theatrical music production that will be in theaters this holiday season.

-Sorry, Cleveland: Nashville became rock ’n’ roll central, with big-deal albums and big-ticket tours from Jack White, the Black Keys, JEFF the Brotherhood and more. Also, Cleveland: Sorry about the Indians, the Browns, the weather, LeBron James and the rust belt economy.

-Super-famous blog guy Bob Lefsetz (What, you’ve never heard of him?) wrote that Taylor Swift had alienated her core audience, and he wondered in writing whether she had “jumped the shark.” Swift’s “Red” sold more copies in one week than any album had sold in a decade, her “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” spent more weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart than any single in history from a female artist, and she went the entire year without using out-of-date expressions like “jumped the shark.”

A cowboy makes his way through the glitter of the Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada (photo: Larry McCormack/The Tennessean)

LAS VEGAS — Vegas has felt a little more like Nashvegas lately.

On the sidewalk in front of a casino on the Las Vegas strip one recent day, “Somebody’s Heartbreak” by Nashville-signed, up-and-comer Hunter Hayes sailed out a loudspeaker as men in cowboy hats and Roper boots passed by. The cowboys were likely in town for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but the rodeo plus the American Country Awards and a slew of music acts in town made it a perfect storm of all things country.

Click image to view photos from the 2012 American Country Awards. Here, Luke Bryan is onstage during the awards show held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on December 10, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LAS VEGAS — On the red carpet before American Country Awards in Las Vegas, Trace Adkins swore he wouldn’t tote his tiny, Tony Award-winning co-host Kristin Chenoweth onto the stage in a Baby Bjorn like last year. He brought her out in a hot-pink baby sling instead.

The co-hosts kept the mood playful in Sin City — handing the sling over to Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, who just announced she is expecting her first child — while Luke Bryan took nine awards, the most of the evening.

Other big winners at the live show from Mandalay Bay Events Center included Miranda Lambert with three awards including Female Single of the Year for “Over You.” She thanked husband Blake Shelton for co-writing the song, and she said she’s Tivoing him on “The Voice” and hoped he was Tivoing her as well as they were featured in competing television time slots on Monday night.

“Honey, we won an award and I’m really excited,” she shouted out to him via television. “Fans, thank you so much.”

Carrie Underwood set a record receiving her 11th ACA award during the show’s three-year history. This year, Underwood took home the award for female artist of the year.

“It’s fan-voted, so it really means a lot,” she said of the American Country Awards, the only country music awards show that allows fans to vote for their favorite artists in various categories. “I already know I have awesome fans, but when they do something like this for me, it’s really awesome.”

Underwood also eluded to the hockey lockout with holiday time coming up with family and husband Mike Fisher.

“We can actually plan something now,” she said.

Crowd-pleasing live performances included Little Big Town’s confetti-swirled performance of “Tornado,” and Adkins on stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd for the band’s hit ‘What’s Your Name.” It had many of the stars on their feet, including Jason Aldean, who had just accepted his award for top touring act, and Keith Urban who flashed the rock hand signal to the stage.

This is the third year for the American Country Awards. The nominees for each award category were determined by four media measurement companies: BigChampagne (record sales and media consumption); Great American Country (video airplay); Mediabase (radio airplay); Pollstar (touring data); and Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Full list of winners for the 2012 American Country Awards held tonight in Las Vegas:

LAS VEGAS -- Even when Shania Twain takes to the stage in her spunky strut, she commands attention. But in Las Vegas, entrances amp up to include a motorcycle suspended in the air and, at other times, cantering horses.

Twain kicked off her two-year residency in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace on Dec. 1, and she’ll perform 24 shows on the stage -- where Celine Dion and Rod Stewart also bring in audiences -- over the next two years.

Throughout Twain’s show, she brings to life many of the personas from her past and her videos in Vegas style. Remember the leopard print hooded coat from “That Don’t Impress Me Much”? Twain struts it across stage with trippy Salvador Dali-esque scenes and rolling hills of animal print on a projection screen behind her.

And the dancing cowboys from “I Ain’t No Quitter” in 2004? Yes, she has those too during a portion of the show staged inside a saloon in a Western town. In addition to four dancers, who participate throughout the hour-and-a-half-long show, Twain has 10 people in her band and three backup singers.

But there were lower-key moments, too, such as a campfire scene when she traded in her glitzier costumes (including a sparkly cat suit and thigh-high boots) for shorts and an off-the-shoulder top. She spoke about growing up with Dolly Parton on 8-track in the truck, and she introduced her sister, Carrie Ann Brown, who sings backup.

Then, she plucked seven fans from the audience, including two different sets of friends who had seen her show multiple times on their visit to Las Vegas, to join her for sing-a-longs.

A highlight of the show came toward the end when she performed her ballads "Still the One" and "From This Moment," filling the stage with billowing white fabric and string players behind her.

The Vegas shows bring Twain back to the stage for the first time since 2004. Ticket prices range from $55 to $250, plus fees, and can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000 or visiting www.shaniainvegas.com or www.thecolosseum.com.